TALLAHASSEE — Over 115 physicians from across Florida today signed a letter opposing legislation that could harm the health of LGBTQ students in the state as well as all Floridians who seek medical care. They urged Governor Ron DeSantis and the Republican-led Legislature to stop politicizing health and not pass HB 1557, or the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which passed in a Senate committee today. This legislation would prohibit classroom discussions about gender identity and sexual orientation.
“As a physician and a member of the LGBTQ community, I am gravely concerned that the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill will harm young LGBTQ Floridians and lead to unnecessary health and mental health issues,” said Dr. Isaiah Cochran, MD, AAHIVS, a family medicine physician in the greater Orlando area. “Just as I give my patients clear, non-judgmental information, children deserve to be given accurate, compassionate information about identity, well-being, and overall health. The classroom should be a comfortable place for them to do so, especially if they don’t have supportive parents or guardians. By shutting down conversations about health and alienating LGBTQ students in our schools, this clearly political bill will make it harder for kids to be able to live healthy lives and thrive.”
The physicians also expressed opposition to HB 747, which would give doctors the right to deny care to patients because of the doctors’ beliefs.
“Doctors take an oath to treat ALL patients to the best of our abilities, regardless of their background, but this legislation would allow providers to discriminate and potentially harm patients,” said Dr. Amy Aqua, a pediatrician in Wellington. “As someone who has cared for children of varying races, religions, and sexual identities, I can say with conviction that there is NO VALID reason to let politics get in the way of life-saving health care. That is why, on behalf of our patients and all Floridians, we call on Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republicans in the Legislature to STOP politicizing health care and putting children’s lives at risk.”
Signers of the letter are included here. The full text is included below:
Florida physicians call on DeSantis, Republican-led Legislature to stop politicizing health care and harming patients
As physicians across Florida, we are concerned by a number of bills making their way toward law that could endanger the safety of LGBTQ children and patients’ access to health care. These bills include HB 1557, or the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, and HB 747, which would give doctors the right to deny care to patients based on their discriminatory beliefs. We urge our lawmakers and Governor DeSantis to get politics out of health care and instead focus on protecting access to care for our patients.
The “Don’t Say Gay” bill being pushed by some Republican legislators would prohibit classroom discussions about gender identity and sexual orientation in schools, alienating LGBTQ students who may not have safe situations at home and silencing important conversations about identity, health, and well-being within the classroom. This bill is particularly troubling as a report conducted by The Trevor Project last year said that 42 percent of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth. This bill goes directly against providing a safe and accepting environment for students, and we worry that this legislation could result in declining mental health and even higher rates of youth suicide.
Another bill blatantly politicizing health care coming from Governor Ron DeSantis and his allies in the state legislature would threaten the health and well-being of even more Floridians by sanctioning discrimination in the system. The “Right to Deny Care” bill, as it should be called, would allow health care providers and insurers to refuse to provide or pay for care that conflicts with their beliefs, even if it’s in the best interest of the patient to receive the care. From making it harder to access contraception or abortion to refusing needed gender-affirming care and beyond, this discriminatory bill violates the duty of physicians to provide care and could have a devastating impact on the lives of our most vulnerable patients.
Our duty as medical professionals is to advocate for our patients, and that includes calling on our elected leaders to put health care ahead of scoring cheap political points. Because Republican leaders have refused to expand Medicaid in our state, health care can already be difficult, even impossible to access for many Floridians. We should be working to expand access, not limit it, and no one should be denied access to critical care, or denied a welcoming space to learn more about their identity and well-being. We call on our lawmakers and Gov. DeSantis to reject these bills that will undoubtedly risk the health of our patients and all Floridians when they need access to care. We further call on them to stop their politicization of health care and start putting health first.
About the Committee to Protect Health Care
The Committee to Protect Health Care is a national mobilization of doctors, health care professionals, and advocates who are building a pro-patient health care majority in Congress and in states so that we can live in an America where everyone has the health care they need to thrive. To learn more: www.committeetoprotect.org
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